Pakistan arrests CIA's informants in Osama raid: Report

New York, Jun 15: Pakistan's top spy agency ISI has arrested five CIA informants, including a Army major, who supplied information to the CIA ahead of the US operation that killed Osama bin Laden, according to American officials.

One of the detainees was reported to be a Pakistani Army major whom officials said copied license plates of cars visiting the al-Qaeda leader's compound in Abbottabat, Islamabad, The New York Times, citing officials, reported.

The fate of the CIA informants who were arrested was unclear, but American officials told the newspaper that CIA Director Leon Panetta raised the issue when he visited Islamabad last week to meet with Pakistani military and intelligence officers.

"We have a strong relationship with our Pakistani counterparts and work through issues when they arise," CIA spokeswoman Marie E Harf said.

"Director Panetta had productive meetings last week in Islamabad. It''s a crucial partnership, and we will continue to work together in the fight against al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups who threaten our country and theirs."

The Times described the arrest as "the latest evidence of the fractured relationship between the United States and Pakistan."

Some in Washington see the arrests as illustrative of the disconnect between Pakistani and American priorities at a time when they are supposed to be allies in the fight against Al Qaeda instead of hunting down the support network that allowed bin Laden to live comfortably for years, the Pakistani authorities are arresting those who assisted in the raid that killed the world's most wanted man, the Times reported.

PTI